Concentrations of toxic elements in tissues of slaughtered animals and cow’s milk - a five year study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the contamination of animal muscle, liver, and milk with lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. Determination of the elements was carried out using several techniques of atomic absorption spectrometry. Between 2008 and 2012, samples of muscles and liver from 1305 cattle, 2345 pigs, 758 horses (only muscles), 1721 poultry (chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks), and 736 samples of raw milk were collected. Only 48 (0.7%) samples exceeded the maximum acceptable levels of the elements, especially lead and cadmium. In the case of lead, the highest number of samples exceeding the legal limits was found in muscles of pigs (6), where the maximum value reached 0.376 mg/kg. For cadmium, the highest number of samples (22) with values exceeding legal limits was found in muscles of horses. The cadmium content in muscles of horses, at both the mean (0.052 mg/kg) and median (0.023 mg/kg), was in order of magnitude higher than that observed in cattle and pigs. Small percentage of samples with values exceeding the maximum levels of toxic elements in food of animal origin indicates a low risk for the consumers’ health.